Apple makes 18+ the floor for dating apps and AI companions

Apple will give a minimum 18+ age rating to any App Store app with dating features or a virtual companion that engages in sexual or romantic content, according to a developer notice dated November 2. TechCrunch reported the change on November 3.

Two new questions for every developer

Apple’s notice, titled “Upcoming: New age rating content descriptors in App Store Connect” and published on its developer news page, says the age rating questionnaire gains two descriptors on November 16, 2026.

• Dating and Relationships covers features that connect real people for dating or relationships, and virtual companions that engage a user in sexual or romantic content. Apps that declare it receive a minimum rating of 18+.
• Shared Location covers sharing a user’s real-world location with another person or group. Apple says it may not change the minimum rating in some regions.

Developers must answer both when they submit an app update or edit their questionnaire. Apple says all apps must have both declarations completed by January 12, 2027.

Brazil is handled separately. Apple says local rules require an A16 rating for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships. An app that qualifies for a lower rating, such as location sharing built for parents and children, can ask Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security for an official rating. Once verified, that rating appears on the App Store in Brazil.

Who feels it first: Companion apps

Dating services already tend to restrict themselves to adults, as TechCrunch noted, so the larger effect lands on AI companion products. These let users build friends, partners and fantasy characters, and some are aimed at younger users. TechCrunch cited an estimate that top companion apps across the App Store and Google Play had reached 220 million downloads by last summer. It also pointed out that the rule covers apps where companion features are only one of several functions, not just dedicated companion products.

In practice, a general chatbot or social app with a romantic persona mode would have to answer yes to the new descriptor and take the 18+ rating for the whole app. Apple’s notice does not say how it will check the answers, or what happens to apps that answer incorrectly. That is not covered in the text we could read.

One more step in Apple’s age push

The change builds on Apple’s July 2025 overhaul, which added 13+, 16+ and 18+ tiers to the existing ratings, as 9to5Mac reported. Under that system developers can also raise an app’s rating above what Apple calculates. According to a February 2026 summary from Giga.law, Apple also built age assurance tools to meet national laws; a search summary we read indicated that downloads of 18+ apps are blocked for users in Brazil, Australia and Singapore. We could not confirm that detail on Apple’s own pages.

Existing ratings for companion apps are not uniform. A Deepsee analysis reported by PPC Land found that Character.AI, PolyBuzz, Chai and Replika sit at 17+ today, and that some companion apps had seen their ratings lowered. A binding 18+ floor would remove that variation, though only for apps that declare the feature.

What the notice leaves open

Apple’s text defines the descriptor by sexual or romantic content, not by the age of users or the app’s marketing. Where a companion app draws that line, and whether non-romantic companions are exempt, is for developers to judge when they answer the questionnaire. Apple has not said how many apps it expects to be affected. The 18+ requirement is also an age rating, so how strictly minors are kept out depends on Apple’s age assurance tools and parental controls in each region.